Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 107 in total

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  1. Comparison of parenting stress between Malaysian mothers of four-year-old very low birthweight and normal birthweight children
    Ong LC, Chandran V, Boo NY
    Acta Paediatr, 2001 Dec;90(12):1464-9.
    PMID: 11853347 DOI: 10.1080/08035250152708905
    A study was carried out to compare parenting stress between 116 mothers of very low birthweight (VLBW) children and 96 mothers of normal birthweight (NBW) children at 4 y of age, using the Parenting Stress Index (PSI). Multiple regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with child-domain stress (CDS) and parent-domain stress (PDS). There was a significantly higher proportion (39.7%) of mothers of VLBW children with high CDS scores >90th percentile than mothers of NBW children (20.8%). No significant differences were observed for PDS scores. Lower intelligence quotient (IQ) scores and adverse child behaviour, as evidenced by higher Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores, were significantly associated with higher CDS scores (p < 0.001). Factors associated with higher PDS scores were higher CBCL scores (p < 0.001), mothers who were the primary caregivers (p < 0.001), male sex (p = 0.018) and lower level of maternal education (p = 0.048). These factors remained statistically significant even when physically and cognitively impaired children were excluded from the analysis.

    CONCLUSION: Specific child characteristics and the social environment appear to have a greater impact on parenting stress than the biological risk of VLBW birth per se.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  2. Fulltext Stress among parents with acutely ill children
    Nizam M, Norzila MZ
    Med J Malaysia, 2001 Dec;56(4):428-34.
    PMID: 12014761
    Objectives: A child's admission into intensive care is a major cause of stress for parents. However among Malaysian parents, data concerning the perception of stress are virtually absent. Therefore we conducted a study to measure the reliability of the Malay version of Parental Stressor Scale: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PSS: PICU) in identifying sources of stress and to study factors that might influence their stress response.
    Methods: Over a six-month period, one hundred and twelve parents were requested to answer the questionnaires twice either in Malay or English, a week apart. Spearman's correlation and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to assess the repeatability and internal consistency of the questionnaires.
    Results: Ninety-four (83.9%) and seventy-one (75.3%) parents responded to the first and second administration of questionnaire respectively. All answered in the Malay language except for three. The correlation ranged from 0.50 to 0.71 with a total score of 0.76. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged from 0.75 to 0.93, with total a score of 0.95.
    Alteration in parental roles was the most stressful source of stress. Fathers, parents of children with higher PRISM score and parents with no previous admission into intensive care unit scored significantly higher in staff’s communication.
    Conclusion: The Malay version of PSS: PICU is reliable in identifying sources of stress. Alteration in parental roles was the most stressful source of stress. Parents' gender, previous experience and severity of the child illness may influence their stress responses.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  3. Depression in the young, parental depression and parenting stress
    Tan S, Rey J
    Australas Psychiatry, 2005 Mar;13(1):76-9.
    PMID: 15777418
    To examine the relationship between depression in children and adolescents, parental depression and parenting stress.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  4. The relationship of hostility, negative affect and ethnicity to cardiovascular responses: an ambulatory study in Singapore
    Enkelmann HC, Bishop GD, Tong EM, Diong SM, Why YP, Khader M, et al.
    Int J Psychophysiol, 2005 May;56(2):185-97.
    PMID: 15804452
    This study tested the hypotheses that ambulatory heart rate and blood pressure would be higher for individuals high but not low in hostility when they experienced negative affect or social stress and that this interaction would be stronger for Indians compared with other Singapore ethnic groups. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was done on 108 male Singapore patrol officers as they went about their daily duties. After each BP measurement participants completed a computerized questionnaire including items on emotional experience. Individuals high in hostility showed higher systolic blood pressure when reporting negative affect whereas this was not true for those low in hostility. Ethnic differences were obtained such that Indians showed an increase in mean arterial pressure when angered whereas MAP was negatively related to anger for Malays and unrelated for Chinese. Also a three-way interaction between ethnicity, hostility, and social stress indicated that hostility and social stress interacted in their effects on DBP for Indian participants but not for Chinese or Malays. Finally, a three-way interaction was obtained between ethnicity, hostility and negative affect for heart rate in which heart rate increased with increasing levels of negative affect for Chinese high in hostility and Malays low in hostility but decreased with increasing negative affect for all other participants. These data are consistent with higher CHD rates among individuals high in hostility and also provide additional evidence on ethnic differences in cardiovascular reactivity in Singapore.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  5. Lived experiences of family caregivers of mentally ill relatives
    Chang KH, Horrocks S
    J Adv Nurs, 2006 Feb;53(4):435-43.
    PMID: 16448486 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03732.x
    AIM: The aim of this paper is to report a study conducted to explore the meanings of the lived experiences that Chinese family caregivers in Malaysia ascribed to the care they provided to relatives with severe and persistent mental illness.
    BACKGROUND: In the past, many researchers have used quantitative approaches to explore the experiences of family caregivers of relatives with severe and persistent mental illness. However, the results of these studies have been far from conclusive because of serious methodological flaws. In addition, a large majority of these studies were conducted in western cultures, and it has been difficult to transfer the results to family caregivers in oriental cultures.
    METHOD: The philosophy of Martin Heidegger underpinned the study. Qualitative data were collected mainly through in-depth interviews with 19 criterion-selected Chinese family caregivers of relatives with severe and persistent mental illness in 2002.
    FINDINGS: We present the emergent themes reflecting the meaning structures of managing, enduring, and surviving the day-to-day experiences of the Chinese family caregivers. The impact of the stigma of the relatives' mental illness on family caregivers and families is pervasive and strong. As a result, family caregivers tried to avoid talking about their relative's mental illness with extended family or friends in order to protect their families from 'losing face'. In addition, most family caregivers believed that adopting positive behaviours and attitudes helped them cope with caregiving.
    CONCLUSION: Mental health nurses need to help Chinese family caregivers to cope with the stresses and stigmas of their relatives' mental illnesses through psychosocial education or family intervention, and to provide them with culturally-congruent care. They should also educate the public about mental health and ill health through health promotion and education.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  6. Fulltext Reliability and construct validity of the Malay version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) among secondary school teachers in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
    Hadi AA, Naing NN, Daud A, Nordin R
    Southeast Asian J. Trop. Med. Public Health, 2006 Nov;37(6):1254-9.
    PMID: 17333785
    This study was conducted to assess the reliability and construct validity of the Malay version of Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) among secondary school teachers in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. A total of 68 teachers consented to participate in the study and were administered the Malay version of JCQ. Reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency whilst construct validity was assessed using factor analysis. The results indicated that Cronbach's alpha coefficients revealed decision latitude (0.75), psychological job demand (0.50) and social support (0.84). Factor analysis showed three meaningful common factors that could explain the construct of Karasek's demand-control-social support model. The study suggests the JCQ scales are reliable and valid tools for assessing job stress in school teachers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  7. Fulltext Emotional intelligence and perceived stress in dental undergraduates: a multinational survey
    Pau A, Rowland ML, Naidoo S, AbdulKadir R, Makrynika E, Moraru R, et al.
    J Dent Educ, 2007 Feb;71(2):197-204.
    PMID: 17314380
    This multinational survey investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived stress (PS) in seven countries. First-year dental undergraduates attending a dental school in England, Greece, Romania, South Africa, Australia, and the United States and three schools in Malaysia were invited to complete a set of questionnaires on age, gender, academic background, satisfaction with career choice, EI, and PS. Of 860 questionnaires distributed, 596 were fully completed--a response rate of 69.3 percent. Mean EI score was 123.8 (95 percent CI 122.7-124.9), and mean PS score was 19.1 (95 percent CI 18.6-19.7). Significant differences in EI and PS scores were detected between different countries. Females (p<0.05), younger students (p<0.001), those without a previous higher education qualification (p<0.001), and those not satisfied with their decision to study dentistry (p<0.001) were more likely to report PS when compared to their counterparts. A significant inverse relationship (coefficient=-0.29, p=0.001) between EI and PS was detected. Independent significant predictors of PS identified were gender (beta=0.22, t=5.71, p=0.001), previous higher education qualification (beta=-0.14, t=-2.42, p=0.010), satisfaction with decision to study dentistry (beta=-0.20, t=-5.11, p=0.001), and EI (beta=-0.24, t=-6.09, p=0.001), with the latter being relatively the most important predictor. In conclusion, the inverse relationship between EI and PS has been confirmed in this heterogeneous sample representing diverse sociocultural and academic contexts of dental undergraduates.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  8. Experiences from a medical students' well-being workshop
    Yusoff MS, Rahim AF
    Med Educ, 2009 Nov;43(11):1108-9.
    PMID: 19874520 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03474.x
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  9. Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms in Malay women
    Din MO, Noor NM
    Women Health, 2009 Dec;49(8):573-91.
    PMID: 20183102 DOI: 10.1080/03630240903495897
    Due to a dearth of research on depressive symptoms in Malaysia, particularly in Malay women, a community study was conducted to examine the prevalence and factors associated with current depressive symptoms in rural and urban Malay women with low socioeconomic status.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  10. The relationship between psychosocial work factors, work stress and computer-related musculoskeletal discomforts among computer users in Malaysia
    Zakerian SA, Subramaniam ID
    Int J Occup Saf Ergon, 2009;15(4):425-34.
    PMID: 20003776
    Increasing numbers of workers use computer for work. So, especially among office workers, there is a high risk of musculoskeletal discomforts. This study examined the associations among 3 factors, psychosocial work factors, work stress and musculoskeletal discomforts. These associations were examined via a questionnaire survey on 30 office workers (at a university in Malaysia), whose jobs required an extensive use of computers. The questionnaire was distributed and collected daily for 20 days. While the results indicated a significant relationship among psychosocial work factors, work stress and musculoskeletal discomfort, 3 psychosocial work factors were found to be more important than others in both work stress and musculoskeletal discomfort: job demands, negative social interaction and computer-related problems. To further develop study design, it is necessary to investigate industrial and other workers who have experienced musculoskeletal discomforts and work stress.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  11. Direct and indirect effects of sociocultural influences on disordered eating among Malaysian male and female university students. A mediation analysis of psychological distress
    Gan WY, Mohd Nasir MT, Zalilah MS, Hazizi AS
    Appetite, 2011 Jun;56(3):778-83.
    PMID: 21435366 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2011.03.005
    This study aimed to examine the role of psychological distress in the relationships between sociocultural influences (social pressure to be thin and weight teasing) and disordered eating. Data were collected from 584 university students (59.4% females and 40.6% males), aged 18-24 years old (M=20.6, SD=1.4), selected from four universities in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Participants completed four standardized questionnaires which measured social pressure to be thin, weight-related teasing, psychological distress and disordered eating. A good fit structural equation modeling (SEM) model was developed for both sexes. For males, the SEM model revealed that sociocultural influences showed an indirect effect on disordered eating through psychological distress. For females, the model showed an indirect effect of sociocultural influences on disordered eating through psychological distress, as well as a direct effect of sociocultural influences on disordered eating. In conclusion, psychological distress mediated the relationships between sociocultural influences and disordered eating in both males and females. Our results suggest that disordered eating intervention programs on reducing psychological distress in university students may be beneficial.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  12. Occupational pressure-targeting organisational factors to ameliorate occupational dysfunction
    Loh SY, Than W, Quek KF
    J Occup Rehabil, 2011 Dec;21(4):493-500.
    PMID: 21365305 DOI: 10.1007/s10926-011-9287-3
    INTRODUCTION: Chronic pressure at work has debilitating impact on healthcare employers (e.g. reduced productivity, high costs, poor patient care) and on female healthcare employees (e.g. sickness, dysfunction). This paper highlights relationship at work as the key occupational source of work-stress which is organisational in nature.

    METHODS: A cross-sectional study (n = 230) was conducted using the Pressure Management Inventory on several female dominated health professions within a large public hospital. Analysis of variance was used to show relationship between sources and outcome of pressure. Linear regressions were used to predict which sources of pressure (IV) was linked to the outcomes of occupational pressure (DV).

    RESULTS: The number one source of occupational pressure is relationships at work (i.e. with supervisors), and not workload. 'Relationship' is also the key predictor of several negative outcomes of pressure at work. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in two sources of pressures, i.e. Workload (P = 0.04) and Home-work balance (P = 0.03).

    CONCLUSION: This paper provides insights into the occupational pressure of women health professionals by highlighting the organisational sources of pressure and the implications for preventing occupational dysfunction secondary to stress at work.

    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  13. A comparison of parenting stress between mothers of children with spina bifida and able-bodied controls
    Ong LC, Norshireen NA, Chandran V
    Dev Neurorehabil, 2011;14(1):22-8.
    PMID: 21241175 DOI: 10.3109/17518423.2010.523057
    To compare parenting stress between mothers of children with spina bifida (SB) and able bodied controls.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  14. Relationships between negative affect and academic achievement among secondary school students: the mediating effects of habituated exercise
    Hashim HA, Freddy G, Rosmatunisah A
    J Phys Act Health, 2012 Sep;9(7):1012-9.
    PMID: 22971880
    The current study was undertaken to examine the associations between self-determination, exercise habit, anxiety, depression, stress, and academic achievement among adolescents aged 13 and 14 years in eastern Malaysia.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  15. Life events and stress: do older men and women in Malaysia cope differently as consumers?
    Ong FS, Phillips DR, Chai ST
    J Cross Cult Gerontol, 2013 Jun;28(2):195-210.
    PMID: 23652824 DOI: 10.1007/s10823-013-9190-9
    The study of major life events and their effects on well-being has considerable relevance for scientific disciplines and policy making in understanding the consumer behaviour of older people. There is evidence of differences in reactions to and coping with stress between males and females but relatively little knowledge about such gender differences amongst older people, especially in middle-income countries. This study of older Malaysians looked at both coping strategies and gender differences in reactions to stress when people are confronted with certain life events. Seventeen major life events were used in interviews with 645 respondents aged 50 years or older in five major urban areas in Peninsular Malaysia. The analysis showed older women tended to experience higher levels of chronic stress than older men. They also had more health problems, had lower levels of self-esteem and were less satisfied with life. Whilst the results showed little support for gender differences in coping behaviours, stress had a significant influence on the way older men and women change store preferences. A hypothesis that older women would use more emotion-focused coping strategies was not supported. Knowledge of how older Malaysians cope with life events and stress and especially in this instance with regard to consumption behaviour, is likely to be of considerable academic and policy related interest.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  16. Religiousness, religious coping methods and distress level among psychiatric patients in Malaysia
    Nurasikin MS, Khatijah LA, Aini A, Ramli M, Aida SA, Zainal NZ, et al.
    Int J Soc Psychiatry, 2013 Jun;59(4):332-8.
    PMID: 22408116 DOI: 10.1177/0020764012437127
    Patients having psychiatric diagnoses often experience high level of distress. Religiousness is often used by them as part of their coping mechanism and problem-solving strategies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  17. The experiences of suffering of palliative care informal caregivers in Malaysia: a thematic analysis
    Beng TS, Guan NC, Seang LK, Pathmawathi S, Ming MF, Jane LE, et al.
    Am J Hosp Palliat Care, 2013 Aug;30(5):473-89.
    PMID: 23341445 DOI: 10.1177/1049909112473633
    A qualitative study was conducted with semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of suffering in 15 palliative care informal caregivers in University Malaya Medical Centre. The data were thematically analyzed. Seven basic themes were generated (1) empathic suffering, (2) anticipatory grief, (3) obsessive-compulsive suffering, (4) helpless-powerless suffering, (5) obligatory suffering, (6) impedimental suffering, and (7) repercussion suffering. A model of compassion suffering was conceptualized from the analysis. This model may serve as a guide in the assessment and management of suffering in palliative care informal caregivers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
  18. Visualizing disaster attitudes resulting from terrorist activities
    Khalid HM, Helander MG, Hood NA
    Appl Ergon, 2013 Sep;44(5):671-9.
    PMID: 22944486 DOI: 10.1016/j.apergo.2012.06.005
    The purpose of this study was to analyze people's attitudes to disasters by investigating how people feel, behave and think during disasters. We focused on disasters induced by humans, such as terrorist attacks. Two types of textual information were collected - from Internet blogs and from research papers. The analysis enabled forecasting of attitudes for the design of proactive disaster advisory scheme. Text was analyzed using a text mining tool, Leximancer. The outcome of this analysis revealed core themes and concepts in the text concerning people's attitudes. The themes and concepts were sorted into three broad categories: Affect, Behaviour, and Cognition (ABC), and the data was visualized in semantic maps. The maps reveal several knowledge pathways of ABC for developing attitudinal ontologies, which describe the relations between affect, behaviour and cognition, and the sequence in which they develop. Clearly, terrorist attacks induced trauma and people became highly vulnerable.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  19. Fulltext Mood and memory function in ovariectomised rats exposed to social instability stress
    Al-Rahbi B, Zakaria R, Othman Z, Hassan A, Muthuraju S, Wan Mohammad WM
    Biomed Res Int, 2013;2013:493643.
    PMID: 23841073 DOI: 10.1155/2013/493643
    This study aims to compare the effects of social instability stress on memory and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour between sham-operated controls and ovariectomised (OVX) rats. Forty adult female Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks old) were randomly divided into four groups, (n = 10 per group). These were non-stressed sham-operated control rats, stressed sham-operated control rats, non-stressed OVX rats, and stressed OVX rats. The rats were subjected to social instability stress procedure for 15 days. Novel object recognition, open field, and forced swim tests were conducted after the stress procedure. Serum estradiol, ACTH and corticosterone levels were measured using commercially available ELISA kits. Lower serum estradiol level and uterine weight with higher weight gain were observed in OVX rats compared to sham-operated controls. Serum ACTH, and corticosterone levels were higher in stressed compared to non-stressed groups. Memory deficit and anxiety- and depressive-like behaviour were significantly increased in stressed compared to non-stressed OVX rats but these changes were not seen in sham-operated controls. These results suggest that the high circulating corticosterone acts synergistically with low circulating estradiol to exert negative effects on mood and memory function.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology
  20. Fulltext A longitudinal study of relationships between previous academic achievement, emotional intelligence and personality traits with psychological health of medical students during stressful periods
    Yusoff MS, Esa AR, Mat Pa MN, Mey SC, Aziz RA, Abdul Rahim AF
    Educ Health (Abingdon), 2013 Jan-Apr;26(1):39-47.
    PMID: 23823672 DOI: 10.4103/1357-6283.112800
    CONTEXT: There is considerable evidence that emotional intelligence, previous academic achievement (i.e. cumulative grade point average (GPA)) and personality are associated with success in various occupational settings. This study evaluated the relationships of these variables with psychological health of first year medical students during stressful periods.
    METHODS: A 1-year prospective study was done with students accepted into the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Information on emotional intelligence, GPA and personality traits were obtained prior to admission. The validated Universiti Sains Malaysia Emotional Quotient Inventory and Universiti Sains Malaysia Personality Inventory were used to measure emotional intelligence and personality traits, respectively. Stress, anxiety and depression were measured by the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale during the end-of-course (time 1) and final (time 2) examinations.
    RESULTS: At the less stressful period (time 1), stress level was associated with agreeableness and the final GPA, anxiety level was associated with emotional control and emotional conscientiousness and depression level was associated with the final GPA and extraversion. At the more stressful period (time 2), neuroticism associated with stress level, anxiety level was associated with neuroticism and emotional expression, and depression level was associated with neuroticism.
    CONCLUSIONS: This study found that neuroticism was the strongest associated factor of psychological health of medical students during their most stressful testing period. Various personality traits, emotional intelligence and previous academic performance were associated factors of psychological health during a less stressful period. These data suggest that early identification of medical students who are vulnerable to the stressful environment of medical schools might help them maintain psychological well-being during medical training.
    Matched MeSH terms: Stress, Psychological/psychology*
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